during these five months let's figure out a better way to go forward with our efforts to reduce the debt. i think that's reasonable, would be fair and give us time to do something. certainly with the debt ceiling coming up and other major issues that we have to deal with here, i think we should lessen not only the impact of the problems we have at airports around america, but also, mr. president, we also should have to focus on -- i repeat -- little boys and girls, old men and women who are losing meals on wheels, their only hot meal of the day. so i think we should do that, mr. president, look at this sequestration, take a time-out. i would now recognize that my friend from north dakota is going to give her maiden speech, and we're all anxious to hear what she has to say. mr. heitkamp: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from north dakota. mr. heitkamp: first off, i want to thank all of my colleagues who came here today to watch my perform my first, or offer my first speech on the floor of the united states senate. it's a great group, and it's a bipartisan group, and i thi